Call to Parliament from imprisoned Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan: A matter of building a democratic order together

Imprisoned Şişli Mayor Resul Emrah Şahan issued a call for responsibility to Parliament and political parties in a post on his social media account. In his message, which began with the words, "I cannot fit... Twelve square meters," Şahan evaluated many topics ranging from prison life to politics, and from freedom of expression to peace debates.

Describing his life in prison with the words, "I walk to the right, then to the left. I used to get dizzy, but now I don't. Because what I see when I look from here is not four walls, but the country," Şahan also touched upon the suicides of a pensioner and a young person in Şişli. Şahan commented on these two incidents by saying, "Two people who grieved, one for losing their dignity, the other for losing their future. Two generations, two despairs."

Addressing allegations of corruption regarding funds, Şahan argued that while politics is caught in the middle of these debates, the real question is not being asked enough. Şahan said, "How was this system established, how has it survived? A few names have been sacrificed, and it has been claimed that we are being purified. As if that is how one is held accountable..."

CALL TO PARLIAMENT AND POLITICS

In his post, Şahan also brought up the topics of freedom of expression and the imprisonment of elected officials. Stating, "Those who do not remain silent are prisoners. Along with them, the will of the nation is also imprisoned," Şahan emphasized that the will expressed at the ballot box must be protected.

Expressing his expectations regarding peace, Şahan described this topic as "perhaps the most important threshold for these lands." Şahan stated that the hope for peace should not be turned into a "tool of governance," adding that society is tired but has not given up.

Referring to the start of the new legislative year of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM), Şahan reminded that Parliament has reopened its doors. Saying, "A promise made to the nation... That promise is still standing there," Şahan stated that politics must move beyond old habits.

Stating, "We need a politics where everyone can fit," Şahan emphasized that a democratic order must be built together. In his post, he called for "a politics where the will expressed at the ballot box is not kept waiting at the door, where young people can enter without breaking the glass, where peace is not a promise but a shared future, and where plurality speaks rather than fear."

At the end of his statement, saying that the burden lies on the shoulders of Parliament, politics, and society, Şahan used the words, "Either we will lift this burden, or we will all face the gallows in this square together."

News Source: 12punto